Kawhi Leonard Articles - Page 88

For the San Antonio Spurs, an inevitable change took place. Franchise legend Tim Duncan retired in the offseason, leaving behind an illustrious 19-year career. The 40-year-old made way for younger talent on the roster, as head coach Gregg Popovich attempts to build for the future, around All-Star talents, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge. The coaching […]

Gregg Popovich didn’t directly say it, but it’s hard not to imagine who he was referring to with these comments. While describing what he likes about Kawhi Leonard, Pop seemingly described Stephen Curry when detailing what he likes that Leonard does not do. Here is the full quote, via SB Nation: “He’s never going to […]

Gregg Popovich isn’t always a great quote. But when he does want to give the media an answer, it’s usually a pretty good one. That’s just what Pop did when discussing Kawhi Leonard’s two-way play. Here’s the glorious quote in its entirety when Pop was asked about Leonard keeping it up on both ends of […]

It came down to the wire before the San Antonio Spurs decided to trade George Hill for Kawhi Leonard on the night of the 2011 NBA Draft. Literally. Reportedly, Gregg Popovich’s love of George Hill — who the Spurs sent to the Indiana Pacers for Leonard — nearly prevented the trade from ever happening. Popovich says Spurs […]

Five years from now is a long time into the future in terms of current and upcoming talent. That’s five more drafts, five more NBA finals, and five more opportunities for roster shakeups. With all the new young talent that’s come into the league, many folks at AthletiQA are wondering, who will be the best. […]

Kawhi Leonard has worked his way into stardom, and has changed the minds of many people over a time. He’s always been lauded for having the potential to be a great player, but there are always variables in one achieving their potential in the NBA. Early success for Leonard once led Kevin Durant to say it […]

After his hot start to the season, with averages of 28.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 4.0 steals per game, San Antonio Spurs‘ superstar forward Kawhi Leonard has been very impressive and made a lot more fans recently. One of them is his new teammate, Pau Gasol. Gasol brought his talents to the Alamo this summer […]

Unlike in years past, the MVP winner for this season will be announced through the NBA Awards Show in New York City on June 26, 2017. As part of the broadcast deal with TNT, the league will acknowledge the winners through a program instead of awarding the individuals before the start of a game, usually […]

Kawhi Leonard has started this season on fire. In the San Antonio Spurs‘ first four games, the 25-year-old is averaging 28.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 4.0 steals in 31.7 minutes per game. Many have attributed his strong performance so far because of working out with Los Angeles Lakers‘ legend Kobe Bryant during the offseason. […]

With their win against the New Orleans on Saturday night, the San Antonio Spurs improved their record to 3-0 to start the season. Not only were they able to keep their perfect record intact, it also set a milestone for their superstar, Kawhi Leonard. The game marked the two-time Defensive Player of the Year’s 235th win, […]

If you’re familiar with the San Antonio Spurs, you’re probably no stranger to the Texas grocery store chain H-E-B commercials which have gone viral during the past few seasons. The boys were back with another one this season, this time without their staple Tim Duncan (tears), showing off their origami skills and their knowledge of […]

With some big names coming to play on Sunday, we have picked some that stand out more than others, either due to matchups, pace of play, or early signs of consistency. High Flyers (9000+): Russell Westbrook (13,000): I would normally never own a player with what is an absolutely insane salary, but Westbrook should have […]

As the number of elite performances begin to rack up (thanks Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis) we take a look at some potential exploits for the slate of games this Saturday. High Flyers (9000+): Damian Lillard (9,100): There are several options under the price tag, but many of them come with reservations. How will Anthony Davis […]

Kawhi Leonard showed why he is the centerpiece of the post-Tim Duncan era during the San Antonio Spurs 129-100 dismantling of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday’s season-opener. Leonard shed the shackles he’d been kept on during his first his first five seasons under coach Gregg Popovich and the Warriors were the first to see […]

The Golden State Warriors opened their season against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night looking to start their campaign on a high note while parading their prized recruit of the summer, Kevin Durant. But Kawhi Leonard had other plans and crashed the party. The reigning two-time Defensive Player of the Year led all scorers and dropped […]

The Golden State Warriors home opener has already been full of surprises. The first quarter could technically be the league’s very first fine and here’s why. Andre Iguodala dribbled the ball to the right baseline to set up his teammate on a pass, but flopped when the defense came his way. Igoudala absolutely loses it as Kawhi Leonard […]

Kawhi Leonard wouldn’t let anything stop him from playing for his team during the NBA preseason. Leonard’s alma mater San Diego State held a Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring him for being one of their best players ever. He made the decision not to go in favor of playing in the Spurs preseason opener at AT&T […]

The LaMarcus Aldridge adventure in San Antonio may be cut short during only his second season with the Spurs. On the heels of prior reports of the team potentially pulling the trigger on a trade involving the Dallas native if the team doesn’t outperform their expectations come new reports of Aldridge’s unhappiness with Kawhi Leonard‘s […]

The annual front office survey is upon us with the start of the regular season only a week away and general managers around the league responded to 48 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches, fans, offseason moves, amongst other topics. They were not allowed to vote for their own team or personnel. Percentages are based […]

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson finally got his chance to give a response to Milwaukee Bucks guard Jason Terry‘s ranking of him among second tier players. Terry was interviewed on SiriusXM NBA Radio, where he said that James Harden was the best shooting guard in the league, not Thompson. He’s not leading s–t.  If he doesn’t make shots, how effective is he? […]

After seeing his teammate of five years and one of the NBA’s all-time greats announce his retirement last July, the new leader of the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard, spoke about how he feels about not having Tim Duncan in their lineup anymore. The usually soft-spoken small forward talked to Melissa Rohlin of the San […]

After seeing his on-court partner-in-crime since 2008, Kevin Durant, leave their team for the Golden State Warriors, who ousted them in a thrilling best-of-seven Western Conference Finals last season, it signifies the start of the Russell Westbrook era and being the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s undisputed leader. With this development, many basketball fans including the Las […]

In the latest breaking news, the infamously emotionless Kawhi Leonard ACTUALLY cracked a smile. Kawhi was at an Indy Car event this past weekend in Sonoma, California as part of Honda’s “Fastest Seat in Sports” event. While there, he hopped in a car with the legend Mario Andretti to join him in the race and was […]

After finishing second in last season’s Most Valuable Player voting, it’s safe to say that Kawhi Leonard is a bonafide superstar. The San Antonio Spurs forward had this best campaign in 2015-2016, averaging 21.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 block per game. His shooting numbers (50% from the field and 44% […]

Having captured a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team last season, Celtics guard Avery Bradley has bigger aspirations this year. “That’s my goal: To be Defensive Player of the Year,” Bradley told ESPN’s Chris Fosberg Monday morning at a basketball court unveiling. “I feel like [the award is] possible for me if I go out there with the right […]

Kirk Cousins, the franchise-tagged and starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins, recently shared a little of his insight regarding how he wants his team viewed. It seems he wants the Redskins to emulate a certain successful NBA franchise. “I’ve told my teammates that I’d like to be the San Antonio Spurs of the NFL,” Cousins told via […]

The NBPA (NBA Players Association) held it’s second annual Players Voice Awards on  Thursday. The awards were voted on, and chosen by the players themselves, and was presented on social media in a list of categories. One of the awards given out was about who the players felt is the best defender in the NBA. This award was given […]

Kawhi Leonard had a fantastic 2015-2016 NBA season. He was an integral part of a San Antonio Spurs team that won a franchise-record 67 games.  It was his best season yet, notching another Defensive Player of the Year award, and starting in his first All-Star game. What stood out the most during the year was […]

Manu Ginobili has been a key asset to the San Antonio Spurs scheme since he made his NBA debut in 2002. After 14 years and 4 NBA titles, Ginobili announced that he would make a return next season, despite injury complications that sidelined him throughout the latter half of the Spurs franchise best 67-15 season. But ever since The Big […]

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard  has decided to decline his invitation to play in the Olympic games in Rio like many of his counterparts have been doing in recent weeks. Leonard is expecting to have his first child in July, which would coincide right along with the start of the exhibition games in Los […]

The list of star players turning down invitations to the Olympic games in Rio is increasing daily ,and it’s opening the door for other players to come along and fill the void. The most recent declines include Kawhi Leonard and LeBron James. There are almost no starting returns and most of the reserves from the […]

While all the attention was on the Golden State Warriors this year, the San Antonio Spurs quietly won a franchise record 67 games. A number that ties them for the seventh best regular season record of all time with five other teams, one of which is the Warriors championship season from last year. One of […]

Despite all of their success, Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley just can’t stop hating on the Golden State Warriors. A year ago, he constantly stated that a jump shooting team couldn’t win the championship (but they did), and he guaranteed the Dubs won’t come out of the West this season. Now, just days after Stephen […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a chance to advance to the Western Conference Finals tonight with a home victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder would set up a meeting against the defending champion Golden State Warriors. The Spurs, who could be playing their final game in the Tim Duncan-era, are looking to win […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder stole a second game on the San Antonio Spurs‘ home court this series to take a 3-2 lead into Game 6. With less than nine seconds remaining, Russell Westbrook clinched the win after after scoring a layup when a foul by Kawhi Leonard was not called by the official. Leonard and […]

There is no doubt LaMarcus Aldridge was a very good player for the Portland Trail Blazers. Before signing with the San Antonio Spurs, Aldridge had spent the first nine years of his career in Portland. Along the way, he became a four-time All-Star and was named to three All-NBA teams while a member of the […]

Earlier today, the NBA announced that for the second consecutive season, the San Antonio Spurs‘ Kawhi Leonard won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Coming up just short, once again, was Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. While many fans are satisfied with the results, there are others who believe Green deserved the […]

The Grizzlies have a tall order ahead of them in trying to beat the Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs. They virtually have no chance of winning the series, and it remains to be seen if they will be able to win even one game. The Spurs have great pieces all across their […]

Some people keep an even keel, regardless of the situation. It’s in their nature. It takes something truly extraordinary to get any sort of reaction out of them. You’d think winning the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season would be one of these special moments where the emotions come out. That […]